Read the news

An easy way to begin: do your own research.

There are thousands of articles on the internet about different aspects of shale drilling. Search on whatever subject that interests you: "Marcellus shale" plus health, water, economy, air quality, pollution, etc. By adding the words "Marcellus shale" to your search you will increase the chances that the items that turn up will be relevant to gas drilling.

News articles can be especially good sources of up-to-date information. Search a wide range of news media all at once at news.google.com

Industry spends millions trying to convince the public and our lawmakers of the benefits of "natural" gas, but a quick look at the propaganda reveals some deep flaws.

The gall of gas megacorporations is surpassed only by the preposterousness of their claims. They spend millions each year trying to convince the public and our lawmakers of the benefits of "natural" gas (NG), but a quick look at their propaganda reveals some deep flaws.

Take this commercial by the Houston-headquartered multi-billion-dollar Spectra Energy as an example. In just a two-and-a-half minute attempt to woo people to NG, they actually make 15 claims that don't hold water. In a world facing global climate woes, exploding population, dependence on foreign energy and inflation -- what should we do? Turn to NG, according to Spectra. But here's where their reasoning is just plain wrong.

1. Industry claim: "Natural gas is clean."

TRUTH: Here the industry is carefully trying to pull the wool over our eyes. You can't just talk about burning gas versus oil once it's in the furnace in your house; you have to look at the entire lifecycle of gas. The lifecycle cost of NG in terms of carbon dioxide and methane emission during its exploration, extraction, processing, and transportation to point of use, is no better than that of oil or coal and may even be higher than that of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel.

3. Industry claim: "Natural gas produces less carbon dioxide than coal or oil (45 percent less than coal, 30 percent less than oil)."

TRUTH: See number 1. Also, methane is 20-25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, meaning it's that much more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and water vapor are the major greenhouse gases associated with the production, transmission, processing, storage, distribution, and use of natural gas. Emissions of these gases associated with natural gas, excluding water vapor, were about 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 (in carbon dioxide equivalent). Methane, the main component of natural gas, is released directly to the atmosphere when it leaks from natural gas wells and pipelines and processing and storage facilities. These methane emissions in 2007 were the source of about 25% of total U.S. methane emissions, but only 2.7% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

And:

Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapor are produced when natural gas is burned. Some CO2 is also released when it is removed from natural gas. Carbon dioxide emissions associated with natural gas in 2007 were about 21% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 17% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (excluding water vapor).

4. Industry claim: "Natural gas is domestically available."

TRUTH: This is technically true, but at a very heavy cost domestically. And because it's more lucrative in the current market to sell abroad, much of that domestic gas will end up being sold to other countries. Besides this, any gas that is added to the domestic market will not be replacing foreign oil or domestic coal or nuclear power; it will just be added to the energy grid.

Thirty-four states sit on gas; many of them have parts that have already been transformed into industrial wastelands. Do we want this for more states, such as New York, which is one of the next states on the chopping block? Or would we not be better off creating jobs in the renewable-energy sector and transitioning off fossil fuels now, while we still have a chance to slow (and, optimistically, maybe even halt) catastrophic global climate change?

Beyond this, nobody in the U.S. is going to get cheaper electricity or fuel because it's "domestic." Gas companies have pulled a bait-and-switch in coastal states, where gas pipelines were often originally permitted because the pipeline companies claimed to be putting them in place for import of NG. Yet once the permits were received and the pipelines laid, the industry revealed its true colors: much of this domestic NG will end up being exported because the price abroad is much better than the prices at home.

This booklet, which you can download in pdf form, is equivalent to Drilling 101. Great pictures and explanatory diagrams will answer all your basic questions about this process. Very highly recommended.

Click here to view a slide show containing hundreds of photos of gas drilling activity in the northern tier of PA. View the reality of the industrial activity that gas drilling has already brought to this rural area.

Photos at Marcellus-Shale.us

www.marcellus-shale.us is a gas drilling website that is dedicated to providing photos, facts, opinions, stories and news about the Marcellus Shale gas play that you won't see other places. You'll find extensive photos of gas drilling sites, pipeline construction, well sites and compressor stations. Explore the impacts that Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction has on the environment, including air and water pollution. See what a Marcellus gas well looks like with photos of drilling sites and equipment used to frack a Marcellus well. Find information and photos of pollution issues like Cross Creek Lake and Dunkard Creek fish kills.

Public Health Issues Related to Gas Well Drilling in Broome County

This is a set of slides created by the Broome County Health Department, Department of Environmental Services. It includes lots of basic facts and interesting maps in an extremely clear presentation.

Press & Sun-Bulletin

The Press & Sun-Bulletin has published a very large number of articles about Marcellus Shale drilling . They have made all of this material, plus a large number of related links, available to the public at pressconnects.com. When you go to this site, notice that there are separate tabs for articles and associated links about Regulation, Leasing, Drilling, Environment, Meetings, Coalitions, and Companies. This is a fantastic resource that also includes an interactive mapshowing the location of Marcellus Shale drilling permits in Bradford, Susquehanna, and Tioga counties in PA.

un-naturalgas.org

There are many sites that make good starting points if you need to get up to speed on the way that gas is extracted from the Marcellus shale and what it might mean to you, your family, and your life. Each one contains a different assortment of articles, plus more links to other sites. One of the best sites out there is un-naturalgas.org . This site belongs to the Chenango Delaware Otsego Gas Group, otherwise known as CDOG, and it contains a ton of information about all aspects of gas drilling. Start by reading through the FAQ , following links to get more details. There's also a fascinating Blog full of bits of interesting news and a page of Resources and Documents that includes a list of handouts that you can print out to show to your friends and neighbors. There's even a page called Lies .

'Gas Pains' - Audubonmagazine.org

Gas PainsPennsylvania, reeling from a budget crisis, exploits—at any and all costs—what might be the largest U.S. natural gas deposit. The results could be disastrous.By Ted Williams

Earth hadn’t seen its first dinosaur when an enormous river system finished dumping its sediments over what is now Pennsylvania, West Virginia, southern New York State, western Maryland, and eastern Ohio. In the 350 million years or so that followed, other sediments piled up on the delta, sometimes to depths of 8,000 feet. As the river’s organic leavings were compressed and heated, hydrocarbons proliferated. Today the 48,000-square-mile Marcellus shale formation contains one of the largest known gas deposits in the United States.

Measured in immediate dollars and without subtracting the real costs of extraction, the windfall is dazzling. A Penn State study that does exactly this predicts that Marcellus gas will inflate Pennsylvania’s economy by at least $8 billion in just 2010. Farmers are now signing away mineral rights—for as much as $5,500 per acre, then getting royalties as high as 20 percent on the gas recovered.

That news would be better if Marcellus gas was recovered in a regulated, responsible fashion and with coordinated resource-agency oversight. After all, natural gas is the least polluting of all fossil fuels. It can even be rendered into cleaner-burning forms of gasoline and diesel fuel. And as a replacement for coal it has the potential to slow global warming because it releases only half as much carbon. But because the technology to extract the gas is younger than the 21st century, no one yet knows how to do it without simultaneously sacrificing the forests, waters, fish, and wildlife that, over time, are worth far more than any finite energy fix. That’s why New York State has placed a moratorium on Marcellus drilling while it struggles to devise effective regulations.

Fracking Resource Guide

frack.mixplex .com is a website where you can find a crash course in fracking. Containing maps, diagrams, photos, links, videos, and text, it is a great place to go, whether you are just starting your fracking education, or looking to add some depth to your knowledge about the subject. It includes sections focused on Fracking, Background, Companies, Experts, Government, Legal, Opinions, and Press. Highly recommended.